Shared folders in Windows Explorer

Updated: October 16, 2009

Applies To: Windows 7

Shared folders displayed in Windows Explorer in Windows® 7 are no longer displayed with a distinctive share overlay icon. All folders are presented with a generic folder icon. A new Details pane now shows detailed sharing status.

Additional information

The sharing state information that the overlay provides isn’t gone but rather has been moved to the Details pane in Windows Explorer. This approach is an improvement over the overlay model as it helps provide more relevant data related to sharing. The Details pane is also where all other relevant properties for an item are displayed, making the overall experience more consistent for end users by providing one location in which they can see all relevant state information for an item.

Workaround/Hot Fix

For a workaround to this issue, see the KB article "The shared type icons do not appear when you use Windows Explorer to view the sharing status of some shared folders in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2" at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2291175.